Sides
Food =What sides to eat with a basic pizza?= Sep 27, 2010 10:40PM29 Comments =SHARE AND PRINT: = I'm making my first attempt at Kenji's non-hack skillet broiler method this week. We are having some vegetarian friends over for dinner so one of my two small pies will be a margherita. Does anyone have any good sides to serve along with this? I was thinking about turning half my dough into some fresh garlic bread, but that seems like a lot of carbs and not very creative. Something light, vegetarian friendly and quick is ideal. Talk is closed, but that doesn't mean the �conversations have to stop! Check out this post for a more thorough explanation, and jump onto our Facebook page or our Twitter feed to keep the conversations going! 29 Comments: KarmaFreeCooking10:53PM ON 09/27/10 arugula salad... dressed with lemon juice, oilve oil, salt and pepper and a few shavings of parmesan cheese boobird10:55PM ON 09/27/10 My favorite side. Green beans, artichoke hearts, cherry tomatoes (cut in half) in a homemade Italian dressing with shaved parmesan added at plating. Some crushed red pepper flakes add a bite. Hey, it's red, green and white. CJ McD10:59PM ON 09/27/10 I agree with Madelyn and boobird- salads. Maybe antipasto to start. Then pizza and salad. shoneyjoe11:35PM ON 09/27/10 Beer, cold. alexandraboston0:40AM ON 09/28/10 I second the cold beer side. & I second the salads. Any type of refreshing salad would go well as a side dish with pizza from classic caesar to an arugula salad to a Boston bibb salad with a lemon vinaigrette and any additional veggies. Maybe some balsamic glazed brussel sprouts with (or without) pancetta. smile0:43AM ON 09/28/10 Yes! A green salad or bean salad. sheri19706:15AM ON 09/28/10 salad, for sure I love using this recipe as a jumping point http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/06/mediterranean-pepper-salad/ pepper, olives, sometimes I skip the cheese and add beans instead, white ones, or garbanzo, or cannelli , if you skip the tomatoes until last, you can make it way in advance, I often use the onions and peppers on my pizza, so I can chop once, eat twice dhorst6:28AM ON 09/28/10 Yes, a salad of some sort--some tossed greens or a tomato and cucumber salad would be great to go with pizza. And yeah, some beer and wine. BitchinFixins8:42AM ON 09/28/10 Here in Italy, many people have a dish of pickled vegetables or vegetables kept in oil. Onions, olives, mushrooms, artichokes, asparagus, zucchini... anything you can stick on a fork. juniejones769:13AM ON 09/28/10 Salad, beer, breadsticks VerasTastyFreeze9:14AM ON 09/28/10 we always have a green salad of some sort jedd639:22AM ON 09/28/10 Wings. italianyc849:47AM ON 09/28/10 more pizza. hungrychristel10:07AM ON 09/28/10 I'm with shineyjoe and juniejones76 - beer! and caesar salad (homemade dressing) Scotty Mac11:55AM ON 09/28/10 I have to agree with a nice crisp salad. I prefer the Mediterranean variety, depending on what type of pizza I'm enjoying. seriousb12:33PM ON 09/28/10 Well, it's neither light, nor vegan, nor particularly quick, but calzones are always nice. Also, hummus is good to have around for everyone. Maybe make some nice focaccia to go with it. (I'm trying to to avoid joining the salad chorus but, yeah, that's what I'd like too.) honeybea12:50PM ON 09/28/10 1. sauteed broccoli rabe w/ olive oil, garlic, and red pepper 2. wine kcijones00112:57PM ON 09/28/10 stuffed eggplant, grilled veggies. cheeses, olive tapendaes. Pasta aglio oglio (garlic oil) Peas and macaroni Broccoli and Macaroni orzo with pine nuts, lemon, feta, scallions those breagsticks on the side would work well with all of this. Stuffed Mushrooms Zucchini frittata Stuffed artichokes. kcijones00112:58PM ON 09/28/10 oh and spinach and cheese stomboli. rcloud1:11PM ON 09/28/10 Good call on the arugula salad MadelynRodriguez, I was going to post the same thing word for word. Nothing goes better with a good Neopolitan pizza. Anne20101:17PM ON 09/28/10 Can they eat seafood? Calamari salad (Country Living, as I recall, has a good recipe) You could serve an appetizer, i.e. Clams on the grill Clams or oysters casino Steamed artichokes with a dipping sauce, or artichokes stuffed with shrimp Zeppoles (with chocolate or orange sauce for dessert. Giada has a recipe on FN) jamesws1:30PM ON 09/28/10 caprese burrata with roasted peppers white beans i'll second (or fifth) the arugula salad Burger3654:41PM ON 09/28/10 I whipped a batch of Kenji's dough last week and had a little pizza party on Sunday with veggie friends as well. It was wayyyy to hot here to fire up the oven so cooked the pies on a grill with excellent results. Along with the pizzas I served: Grilled Artichokes; trimmed them, steamed till tender, split, and grilled. Topped with a simple salsa from our garden of tomatoes, hot cherry peppers, onion, basil, and lemon juice and grilled some lemons for garnish. A simple salad of melons and other fresh fruits. The melons right now in our area our out of this world so hard to go wrong. A tray of mixed olives, peppers, and cornichons. There was a veggie in the group so all pies were veg except for one: 1. Margherita - Bufala Mozz, Basil, Tomato Sugo 2. Rosa- Pistachios, Red Onion, Parm 3. Bacon and Egg - Mahogany Smoked Bacon, Duck Egg, Mozz, Tomato Sugo 4. Fontina, Parm, and Oregano 5. Roasted Mushrooms & Cipollini Onions, Fontina, Thyme 6. Hot Cherry Peppers, Kalamata Olives, Duck Egg, Mozz, Tomato Sugo Tupper Cooks!4:49PM ON 09/28/10 Beer. eaguk5:26PM ON 09/28/10 Good homemade coleslaw. And beer. Cold. CJ McD6:14PM ON 09/28/10 I second clams casino. (but that's not vegetarian) Spinach, parmesan and fontina stuffed mushrooms. Marinated artichoke salad. Grilled zucchini drizzled with a lemony or balsamic dressing or pesto thinned with more olive oil and a squeeze of lemon. Vegetable minestrone. Roasted or grilled asparagus with olive oil, lemon and zest. Roasted kale chips with a dusting of parmesan cheese. Cured olives, pepperocini, artichokes, roasted red peppers, hearts of palm, cheeses and fruit. Roasted garlic cloves, oil cured sun dried tomatoes, cured olives, fresh ricotta.and baguette. Biscotti and gelato for dessert. starry678610:54PM ON 09/28/10 a simple spinach salad would be delicious and fresh, and perhaps mushrooms to add a meaty texture that you might be missing with a vegetarian meal. seriousb11:05AM ON 09/29/10 Some kind of pasta with pesto. dingdong3:15PM ON 09/29/10 I always think that Friday is the perfect day for a homemade pizza meal. I usually make a simple arugula salad dressed with lemon, olive oil and salt. I eat it on the side, or sometimes pile it on top of my thin crust margahrita pizza (made with lots of anchovies and fresh basil). Clams as a starter also sounds great to me. And a couple of nice big glasses of Italian red wine. Would be lovely followed up with some treats from a local bakery. Let the weekend begin! Need Side Dish ideas for homemade pizza *G *gerry27Sep 11, 2011 09:20 AM * *18 * Follow Making Pizza for a batch of friends tonight, and I need some ideas on what to serve on the side. Someone is already bringing a fresh green salad, so I'd like another side to serve as well. Preferably, something I can prep earlier in the day, so I can spend more time on the pizzas..... any thoughts? cheers 0# Posting Guidelines | FAQs | Feedback See All 1 / 2 18 Comments (Latest Sep 14, 2011 by ChiliDude)#http://www.chow.com/profile/39328IndyGirlSep 11, 2011 09:23 AM White bean salad? (Rosemary, white beans, little bit of white or red wine vinegar, salt, and rosemary and maybe red pepper flakes?) I tihnk some protein would be nice. Reply 0 #FFishTalesSep 11, 2011 09:49 AM If you put the right things on top you won't need anything extra on the side. Well, maybe a glass of wine or two... Cheers! Reply 0 #Eescondido123Sep 11, 2011 10:05 AM Maybe a fresh corn salad, though I really think a salad is all you need. Reply 0 #CChiliDudeSep 11, 2011 10:15 AM Not knowing what toppings you're gonna put on the pizza makes this tricky. How 'bout a serving dish containing marinated artichoke hearts, several kinds of olives, marinated mushrooms, and pickled peperoncini for people who can tolerate a little heat. You may need to go out or send someone out to buy these comestibles. If you decide on this idea, you won't have to make anything from scratch. Reply 0 #http://www.chow.com/profile/30273hotoynoodleSep 11, 2011 11:31 AM because of the tomato sauce, i've never been a fan of salads or marinated foods with pizza. broccoli rabe with garlic and red pepper flakes, or garlicky spinach would be my call. roasted cauliflower with pine nuts and golden raisins would be good to. these veg dishes also work room temp, so you could make them ahead. 7 Replies Reply 0 ##RE: hotoynoodleEescondido123Sep 11, 2011 11:57 AM But rabe is one of my favorite pizza toppings, along with some Romano when it comes out of the oven. Just had one last night. Reply 0 ###RE: escondido123http://www.chow.com/profile/30273hotoynoodleSep 11, 2011 12:11 PM love it in pizza too, but we have no idea what kind of za's op is serving, lol. Reply 0 ###RE: escondido123http://www.chow.com/profile/65673monavanoSep 11, 2011 01:00 PM Love rabe on pizza, too! It is a good idea for a side. It'll definitely hold its own. Reply 0 ##RE: hotoynoodleCChiliDudeSep 13, 2011 04:37 AM Have you seen the price of pine nuts lately? They are $30 a pound around here because of a bad crop in China last year. Reply 0 ###RE: ChiliDudehttp://www.chow.com/profile/65673monavanoSep 13, 2011 07:28 AM If I were to buy pine nuts, I'd buy from Italy only and pay the money. That said, walnuts are a great substitute. Reply 0 ####RE: monavanoCChiliDudeSep 13, 2011 08:20 AM I know about walnut substitution, but I agree that going Italian is more patriotic since such genes are in my wife's DNA. Reply 0 #####RE: ChiliDudehttp://www.chow.com/profile/65673monavanoSep 13, 2011 08:45 AM I also thought the pine nuts from China were thought to be questionable (quality and age) and implicated for the occasional pine mouth. Making Pizza for a batch of friends tonight, and I need some ideas on what to serve on the side. Someone is already bringing a fresh green salad, so I'd like another side to serve as well. Preferably, something I can prep earlier in the day, so I can spend more time on the pizzas..... any thoughts? cheers 0###### Posting Guidelines | FAQs | Feedback See All 2 / 2 18 Comments (Latest Sep 14, 2011 by ChiliDude)######http://www.chow.com/profile/65673monavanoSep 11, 2011 11:56 AM I'm in the salad camp. No matter what type of pizza or toppings you pick, there is a salad that will go with it. I love the cold crunch of salad as a counterpoint to warm pizza. Reply 0 ######http://www.chow.com/profile/67657KajikitSep 11, 2011 01:06 PM Pizza is a meal unto itself. It doesn't need any accompaniments except possibly a fresh green salad to cut the grease, and you've already got that taken care of. 1 Reply Reply 0 #######RE: Kajikithttp://www.chow.com/profile/39328IndyGirlSep 11, 2011 01:45 PM I had the same thought, but I've been in this position before, where I felt like I wanted something *else.* That's why I suggested something light like white beans, which actually make a great accompaniment. Reply 0 ######Eescondido123Sep 13, 2011 09:39 AM So gerry27, what did you do? 2 Replies Reply 0 #######RE: escondido123Ggerry27Sep 13, 2011 04:44 PM I actually used one of my own suggestion that I made on another post. I made a roasted corn salad with lots of lime juice, roasted red peppers, black olives and a big handful on cilantro. It went great with the pies I made! (Homemade mozzarella, olive oil, basil and spicy sausage ) I will def try the white bean idea next time (I just didn't have any on hand) thanks all! Reply 0 ########RE: gerry27CChiliDudeSep 14, 2011 07:34 AM Glad things worked out and thanks for relaying the result.